Perceived hard water environments exist where water contains more than 5 grains of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) per gallon. Such a condition forms undesirable scale in pipes, cooling towers, tubs, showers and sinks when colloidal CaCO3 comes out of suspension in an electro statically un-stable hard water environment. Following evaporation of hard water used for irrigation, the walls and fences exposed to the spray of sprinklers are stained by the accumulation of the concentrated deposits of CaCO3. In addition, the deposited CaCO3 creates hardpan soil conditions that reduce the ability of the soil to absorb water and necessary minerals for plant utilization.
A common method of treating hard water to avoid these problems includes adding sodium chloride salt to the water. This method, commonly known as “softening”, involves the replacement of the calcium ion in the compound a sodium ion, forming sodium carbonate that does not precipitate out of solution to form scale. While this softening method continues to see extensive use, it has several disadvantages. First, the process consumes salt and requires continuous maintenance and replenishment of this ingredient in the ongoing process. Secondly, the discharge from regeneration of the ingredient following such softening treatment has been known to have a negative effect upon subsequent water treatment operations. Third, such treatment of drinking water may be counter-productive and harmful to the health of the large number of people relegated to a low sodium diet.
Filtering of water has also been used as an adjunct to water softening but is usually a component of a more elaborate and expensive process, such as chlorination disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,598.
Electro magnetic processes, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,323, have seen limited use in water softening applications. The disadvantage of such a method is that once the water leaves the influence of the applied magnetic field the purported beneficial effect of the treatment is short lived. The colloidal particles again become electrostatically unstable and tend to aggregate and form scale.
The method of the present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an economical system of electrically treating hard water. In the process of the present invention the colloidal calcium carbonate particles are held in suspension, keeping them from aggregating to form scale in pipes, boilers, and plumbing fixtures or creating hard pan soil conditions.
Thus, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a method for treating hard water that creates and maintains an electrostatically stable colloidal water environment that retards the formation of scale and hard pan soil conditions.